Sir Didymus and Ambrosius

Sir Didymus is a small dog, possibly a terrier, who guards the bridge past the Bog of Eternal Stench. He has taken an oath never to allow anyone to pass the bridge without his permission. When Sarah and her gang meet Didymus, he fights Ludo – insisting that no one can pass without his permission. So, Sarah asks his permission, and they carry on together.

Didymus speaks in a kind of reedy English patois, referring to Sarah as “my lady,” and never lets his diminutive size stop him from a challenge. He always tries to prove his bravery and lack of fear, often by attacking much larger opponents.

Sir Didymus is pretty old-fashioned, and his idea of a fun party is cracking out the old scrabble board.

My favorite part of Didymus is when he yaps ferociously. I don’t know why, but it’s always funny when talking dogs bark.

Didymus is also a really mysterious character. Who did he make is oath to? Who made him a knight? The only royalty we know of is the Goblin King. So did Didymus betray his royal patron to help Sarah and co?

But that pales in comparison to the bigger question – why does Didymus, a dog, ride another dog?!

This is crazy.

Ambrosius is Sir Didymus’ semi-noble mount, an Old English Sheepdog. He’s not nearly so brave as Didymus, and is often found cowering behind a convenient obstacle. His main interests include food, and hiding.

Right, so. Ambrosius is a dog, and Didymus is a dog. And one rides the other. This is the weirdest part of The Labyrinth to me. Read more on this blog post: When a dog rides a dog.

I thought Didymus was a fox, cuz he seems to have a reddish tail with a white tip, like a red fox does. The stuffy version of him in Sarah’s room kinda looks like a fox too. Anyway, for sure he’s annoying.
I think it’s weird that Sarah never comments on how Ambrosius looks just like her dog Merlin.

Sir Didymus is a Chinese Crested. I have a Chinese Crested and he’s crazy, rather oblivious and devastatingly handsome, as is Sir Didymus. And I’m sure, if given the opportunity, he would ride another dog and stick a feather in his cap and call it macaroni.

Okay, here’s my long-standing theory about Sir Didymus’ knighthood. The key to it is in recognizing his distinctive fighting style; the one he uses when initially battling Ludo. Although he does attempt a few round-house swings and shorts jabs with his small cane/staff, his preferred tactic is to move in close and batter his opponent with a devastating barrage of quick, short blows. Go ahead and take a look again at his technique. Does it look at all familiar? Where might you have seen a diminutive warrior of no small repute wielding a cane/staff in a similar manner?

If you said Yoda while fighting R2D2 on Degobah in the Empire Strikes Back then you’re correct. That’s right, Sir Dydimus isn’t just any old knight; he’s a Jedi Knight, just like our diminutive Master Yoda. Deprived of a lightsaber, Yoda resorts to inflicting a flurry of blows with his cane/staff on R2; just as Sir Didimus does against Ludo in Labyrinth. Sir Didymus also likes to spring around and attack his opponent from unexpected directions; much like the younger Yoda does in his battle against Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones. The clincher is that they’re both small Muppets designed and manipulated in both movies by Jim Henson. The genesis for both characters lie with the same man!

So, all hail the brave Jedi Knight Sir Didymus! May the Force be with him. 😉

Ambrosius is a Shichon(Shi tzu/ Bichon Frise), same dog I have and Sir Didymus and he are an absolute delight to watch. I would watch scenes about those two endlessly. What a fun post to read about, thanks everyone.

I’m not so sure about Didymus, I think he’s a fox/dog but I guess in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t really matter. But the subject of Merlin the dog aka Ambrosius is a very interesting story, in King Arthur and the knights of the round table, the magician Merlin’s full name is Merlin Ambrosius. I can’t help but draw the parallel between the fact that Merlin the wizard/magician from king arthur is an all powerful being that can alter reality/go back and forth in time etc and Ambrosius/Merlin the dog is in the very begining of the movie watching Sarah act out the Labyrinth (he must have watched her do it a million times) and he shows up at the end of the movie – Is he the reason the Labyrinth came to life? Is he the magical one? Thoughts anyone?

whats strange is that Sarah doesnt notice that all her toys in her room looks like everyone she has seen in the Labyrinth and the room with all the stairs if you look beside her bed she has a picture of that

I’ve always thought that Sir Didymus’s oath may have been sworn to Jareth. Didymus claims his oath says that “none shall pass this way without *my* permission!” which may have been what Jareth originally said to him meaning none may pass without Jareth’s permission, but Didymus being the over energetic person he is misinterpreted it.

This is further supported when the guard rushes in to Jareth’s throne room to tell him Sarah has reached the Goblin city as Sir Didymus is the only one he knows by name.

There is no way Didymus is a damn yorkie, unless you have red yorkies people…
He’s reddish-orange.

He’s also the most amazing character in a moving of amazing characters, many of which do not really exist. He’s either a fox, or some mutt kind of terrier, or just made up… and I love him, and I want to allow him into my home to stay forever.

I agree with shawna, clearly he isa yorkshire terrier. He looks just like mine. I’v even thought of getting a outfit for him and a
saddle for my Anatolian Shepard and getting some photos of him and posting them!! Then that would end this debate !!

Sir Didymus IS a Yorkshire Terrier..
Because of my childhood love for Labyrinth- I have an Old English Sheepdog AND a Yorkie (She’s a Yorkie and Miniature Dachshund mix- aka a Dorkie) and she looks EXACTLY like Sir Didymus.
Like Michael (the poster above) I was thinking of saddling up my little one on the sheepdog for a picture– since it’s almost Halloween- I was thinking of being Sarah and having the dogs LOL

Sir Didimus is a Yorkshire terrier dog because it is the favorite dog of rich people who want their dog to give an image of themselves, he has a noble language with a perfect English accent (remember that there are many different accents and language in the film : playing cards are Scottish, FIREY’s language is from the Bronx), he has already fought many enemies because he is one-eyed.
Sir Didimus is very cunning, even when surrounded by enemies, he plays the bluff card to save time :
« HUH! SO, HAD ENOUGH, HAVE YOU? ALL RIGHT, THEN, THROW DOWN YOUR WEAPONS,
AND I’LL SEE THAT YOU’RE WELL-TREATED. ».

If you notice in the opening shots around Jennifer’s bedroom you’ll notice a toy that looks very like Sir Didymus. This suggests to me that the whole Labyrinth is a make believe game created by Jennifer. Perhaps she was using her dog as a horse for her toy, imagining him as a knight? This would explain why a dog is riding a dog (or even a fox riding a dog which is still bonkers)